Three years after the publication of The Adventures of
Roderick Random (1748), Tobias Smollett produced a second,
lengthier work of fiction whose title (rightly) suggests a desire
to build on his earlier success. This is not to say that
Peregrine Pickle is a mere repetition of is predecessor.

Formally, the novel marks a significant departure in being a
third-person, omniscient narrative, unlike the first-person
narrative of the quasi-autobiographical Roderick Random.
While Peregrine is equally a peripatetic hero, his exploration of
the mid-eighteenth century world is undertaken in social rather
than geographical terms. The result is a novel centering on a much
less sympathetic hero, subject to overt …

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Citation:
Ross, Ian Campbell. "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle".
The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 September 2004
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10082, accessed 03 March 2015.]

10082The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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